Random idea for today: You go to a restaurant with not one, but two tasting menus across several courses, each created and served by a different chef. You vote on your favorite of the two courses, and at the end of the night, one of the chefs is declared the “winner” (purely for pride). The … Read more
Since going vegetarian/pescatarian 5 years ago, I haven’t craved meat all that much. Sure, the smell of bacon is alluring, fried chicken calls to me every now and then, and I miss the occasional pepperoni pizza. But it’s pretty rare that I crave beef, pork, chicken, turkey, duck, or any of the other animals I … Read more
At the recent Groupvergence geeky weekend, there were several events geared around fun cocktails: the Batman escape-room party, the tiki party, and the drinking panel. I love trying unique/weird cocktails, and they were available in abundance, so today I thought I’d describe a few of them and see if you have any to add. At … Read more
This year we’ve delved into some special dining experiences, each of which has left a special mark on my memory. There was a chef’s dinner associated with the local restaurant Edera recently, great meals at Mainlander and Vicia, and now an excursion an hour south of St. Louis for a delightful evening at Such & … Read more
Megan and I recently attended what I thought was going to be a chocolate-making class at the Botanical Gardens, but it turned out to be a chocolate-tasting class–even better! During the class we learned about how chocolate is made and different ingredients to look for on packaging to determine the quality and sustainability of the chocolate. … Read more
I’m open to eating most things. There are a few foods that my body doesn’t react well to (mint, olives, white wine, etc), but for the most part, I’ll eat it. However, there’s a small subcategory of foods that just don’t excite me. Cabbage is one such food. As a kid, my parents served corned … Read more
I was at a gathering a few weeks ago when someone offered me an “island drink”. Up until that moment, I hadn’t considered that there was such a category of drink, even though I’ve had had plenty of them. Among these drinks–which could also be called “tropical drinks”–are pina coladas, mojitos, margaritas, daquiris, mai tais, … Read more
After our amazing fine dining experience at St. Louis’ Bulrush a few months ago, we’ve been itching to see what the next season’s menu might hold. I learned from the chef that there’s no season-specific menu–dishes change all the time based on which ingredients are available locally. The meal started with a touch of sweet, … Read more
I was listening to the “Life Is Short with Justin Long” podcast the other day, and he had an interesting question for the guest: If someone were to name a sandwich after you, what would be composition of the sandwich? Basically, imagine someone going to a deli or restaurant and asking for the “Jamey Stegmaier” … Read more
I love a good queso dip. It’s something I eat whenever I order from a Mexican restaurant, and Megan feels the same way. The only problem, as I recently discovered, is that queso dip is often made from American cheese or Velveeta. I’m sure I’ve had made queso dips with those cheeses and I didn’t … Read more